Plastic eco-friendly boats – Palestinian fisherman’s initiative

Plastic bottles in the order of hundreds that were dumped in the sea were turned into a fishing boat by Muath Abou Zeid a Palestinian, 35 years of age. He abandoned it in Gaza Strip’s Rafah coast. Red mullets, sardines were among the five to seven kilos of fishes that Zeid caught being at the sea for almost eight hours every day in the last two weeks.

Around four to nine Euros that is 20 to 40 shekels is totally what Zeid makes from selling his catch to the strollers along the sea.  But to Zeid, more than the earnings what he gives back to the world is more important.

From the empty plastic bottles collected from the beaches, Zeid had made the boat. He also seems to have many other ideas to save the environment from plastics. Plastic bottles, old fishing nets, wooden board, and glue were all that Zeid used to make his boat that could carry eight people.

According to Zeid, the father of four, paddling the boat is tiresome and so he covers 1.5 to 2 kilometers only. With no place in Gaza to buy fishing gears or nets, Zeid is forced to use hooks for fishing.

As per the World Bank, out of the two million residents in Gaza Strip, almost 80% of them are dependent on aid. The Israeli sea and land blockades by the Islamist Hamas movement controlling the Gaza Strip for over a decade now is considered the reason for the unemployment rates to have risen to 45%.

Kerem Shalom, the only terminal for transfer of goods between Gaza and Hebrew state has been authorized by Defense Minister to be completely reopened.